Work Text:
Work was going smoothly, for once. The flower shop had been bustling all morning, but calmed down by midday. There wasn't another rush expected until the evening shift, for which Wen Ning had always kept his best florists on site after he left for the day. He had never expected his shop to become so popular.
But of course, it had to be this day. Of course it did. He had already heard from Jiang Cheng that Jin Zixuan had proposed to Jiang Yanli the night before. She said yes. Odd that he heard it from Jiang Cheng, outside of the man dating his sister for years now, they had never been on the best terms. He had expected to hear it from Wei Ying.
Which meant that he probably didn't know. Until now.
“A-Ning, baobei, I need your help!” Wei Ying wailed as soon as he was at the counter. Wen Ning arched a brow at him, not at all confused. He knew what this was about.
“That damn peacock, what makes him think he's good enough for my sister?” And here began the rant that Wen Ning had heard for years. It never ceased to be a constant headache. He himself never had any ill feelings toward Jin Zixuan. Of course it would be different for Wei Ying, given what he had been told about him.
Still. “And what can I do?” he asked, skeptical. He was used to Wei Ying's dramatics by now. Normally, Lan Wangji was the one to calm him down. But with him being at work as well.....it was now Wen Ning's problem.
Wen Ning was tall and broad, his clothing belying the strength that lay beneath, but he was hardly intimidating. He was actually quite shy and nervous around people he barely knew. Odd place to work, considering the circumstances, but he wasn't complaining. He liked flowers, and it helped him out financially.
“Come on, I know there's at least something you can do! Can't you make a bouquet that's a passive-aggressive 'fuck you, Jin Zixuan'?” Wei Ying asked, sighing.
“That's highly unprofessional,” Wen Ning said, rolling his eyes. “And I doubt someone like him would understand the meaning anyway. He doesn't seem the type to enjoy getting flowers.”
Of course, that was considering that Jin Zixuan did not know the language of flowers.
“That's what makes it even better!” Wei Ying said, that same mischievous grin on his face.
“Lan Zhan really let you out of the house like this, didn't he?” Wen Ning complained, rubbing his temples with his hands. “Alright, if I do this for you, I have some ground rules. First, you pay up front. Second, the flowers are obviously from you and only you. Third, you do not mention this to anyone.”
Wei Ying nodded enthusiastically, digging out his wallet. “I knew I could count on you!”
Later that evening, Wei Ying received a call from Jiang Yanli. Wen Ning and Lan Wangji were both busy in the kitchen, never allowing Wei Ying to cook for them for obvious reasons.
“XianXian, the flowers are beautiful! But, um.....why would you send A-Xuan flowers as a congratulations?”
Oh, boy. Now it's started. Wei Ying has her on speaker phone, and Wen Ning can hear raucous laughter in the background. Jiang Cheng is laughing.
Which sets Wei Ying off, and Wen Ning has to stubbornly stave off another headache while keeping his focus on what he's doing.
“What did you do?” Lan Wangji asks him, gently nudging his arm with his elbow.
“What Wei Ying asked of me. In my defense, you let him out of the house acting so dramatically, I just wanted him out of my shop. It was enough of a headache listening to his rant the first hundred times.”
And now, Lan Wangji huffs out a laugh. A rarity in itself, but it doesn't make Wen Ning feel much better about the situation. He would have to apologize to Jiang Yanli once she knew the meaning of the flowers Wei Ying had sent to her fiance.
“It's better to share pain than face it alone,” Lan Wangji reminds him.
He knows. He definitely knows.
“Just try not to give in to his whims too often,” Lan Wangji adds.
“He's enough of a spoiled brat that he knows how to get his way.”
Oh, that, Wen Ning definitely knows better than anyone.
“It just had to be flowers that he picked,” he mumbled, Lan Wangji barely suppressing an outright giggle at his boyfriend's petulance.
“It could always be worse.”
Wen Ning has a feeling that it will get worse.